Not Enough
by Maria1229
Summary: For the first time in days, Sharpay wasn’t yelling at her, but Gabriella wish she was. She’d rather have Sharpay yell than listen to the words that were coming out of her mouth right now. She knew what was coming. Femmeslash. GabriellaxSharpay. Angst.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** _High School Musical_ is a property of Disney. I do not own any of these characters, I just like playing with them. :-)

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Part One:

Gabriella keeled over trying to catch her breath. Her leg muscles were burning and her heart rate was rapid. She felt like her lungs were on fire. _So this is what dying feels like,_ she thought, gulping for air. When Troy had asked her to hang out today, Gabriella actually thought they'd go to lunch or maybe head to the mall. She should've known better because Troy's definition of hanging out varied from the rest of the world. He wanted to work out and run laps around the entire state.

Gabriella started to see spots when she heard Troy jog back to her. He was already half way across the park before he realized that he no longer had a running buddy.

"Come on, Montez, only a few more laps. Suck it up!"

She looked up and gave him her best "I'm going to rip your balls off" death glare. "You know if I wasn't dying right now, I'd wring your pretty little neck." She took another deep breath, trying desperately not to pass out.

Troy laughed still jogging in place. "Yeah, you'd have to catch me first. Come on, loser. I didn't think you were _this_ out of shape."

Gabriella couldn't take it anymore. Her legs gave out and she fell down on the grass. She mustered up the strength to kick Troy in the shin.

"Ow! That hurt!" He clutched his shin, jumping up and down in pain.

"I _am_ in shape! No normal person jogs a gazillion laps for fun!" She sat up and pulled Troy down to sit next to her. "And plus, I told Sharpay I'd meet her later. I can't very well do that if I'm dead from all this running."

Troy wasn't listening but instead was looking at the spot where she kicked him. "Aw man, that's going to leave a huge bruise."

Gabriella shook her head and shoved him. "You're the biggest baby I know. Put ice on it or something. And plus that doesn't make up for all the oxygen that I lost during this 'small jog.'" She put her fingers up in air quotes and glared at him again.

"Twenty laps _is_ a small jog for a Wildcat!"

"Oh don't give me the Wildcat bullshit speech again. I have to get home and shower." Gabriella tried get up but realized her legs had cramped. "Son of a bitch, I can't move my legs."

Troy stood up and held out his hands to help her. "Who's the baby now?"

Gabriella took them and heaved herself up to stand. "You still are. Now carry me home."

He shook his head and turned around to let Gabriella climb on his back. He piggyback rode her all the way to her house. "Wait, did you say you're going to hang out with Sharpay later?"

She wrapped her legs around his midsection so she wouldn't slip. "Yeah, why?"

"I thought she was working on the musical today."

She looked at him confused. "Why would she be working on the musical on a Saturday? I thought only the directors and producers work on the weekends."

Troy shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, but that's where Ryan is right now. See, he was the one who originally was supposed to work out with me. When he said he was busy with the play, I called Chad. But he was hanging out Taylor, so I called you." He waited for the smack, kick, or pinch he knew would come.

"I'm glad to know that I was your last resort." And as expected, Gabriella smacked him on his head.

"Hey now, I can easily drop you and make you walk home." Troy let go of her legs so she was only hanging on to his neck.

"And I can easily choke you if you don't." He laughed and he held on her legs again. "So, want to drive me to the school later?" She asked him innocently.

"What am I? Your chauffer?"

Gabriella thought for a second. "No, you're my bitch."

"Well since you put it that way, then sure. But won't Sharpay be really busy with the play and everything? Why don't you just hang out with me for the rest of the day?" He turned his face and showed her his best puppy look.

"And run more laps? No thanks, plus I feel like I haven't hung out with Sharpay in weeks. Ever since the play started up again, we barely see each other."

"Aw, does Gabriella miss her girlfriend?" Troy teased her using an annoying baby voice.

"You know, Troy. You shouldn't insult me when my foot is this close to your balls." Gabriella moved her foot making Troy drop her. She landed, thankfully, on her feet.

"Geez, woman! Watch where you aim those things!" He protectively covered himself.

"Calm down, I was just joking." She jumped back on his back. "Now onward, slave."

Gabriella _did_ miss Sharpay. She hadn't really thought about it, but she couldn't remember the last time the two of them were alone. They were always at school or hanging out with a group of people. As much as Gabriella loved hanging out with her friends, Sharpay always acted different around them. She hated public displays of affection and often got annoyed when Gabriella tried to hold her hand or put an arm around her. It didn't really bother her because Sharpay would make up for it when they were alone. But now since the musical started again, Gabriella knew that Sharpay would be in rehearsals until late every weekday. That meant she wouldn't ever see her.

Gabriella didn't know why Sharpay had to be at the school now. She was really looking forward to spending time with her.

Troy drove Gabriella to the school complaining the entire way how he had nothing to do for the rest of the day. Gabriella ignored him when they entered the auditorium and a smile immediately crept on her face seeing Sharpay on stage. It was in a way Gabriella had never seen before. It looked like a small tornado had hit it. There were props and set pieces scattered everywhere. Sharpay was in the middle, holding a megaphone to her mouth, and barking out orders to everyone.

"No! I want this piece over here so the shadow from this piece won't cover it!" The poor soul that Sharpay yelled at immediately did what he was told, but apparently did something wrong as she yelled again. "No! Do you not understand simple English? Over there! Oh, my God, everyone take five!" There was a sound of exhales and everyone scurried off the stage away from her. Sharpay went to the edge and sat down pinching the bridge of her nose.

Gabriella's smile continued to grow as she walked down the aisle towards her. "Rough day?"

Sharpay looked up in surprise. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing. I thought we had plans today."

Sharpay stood up and got off the stage. "I thought I told you I had to be here." She sounded frustrated.

Gabriella followed her. "No. And what are you doing here anyways? I thought you only had rehearsals on weekdays."

"Um, the director has to be here everyday." Sharpay pointed out sardonically crossing Gabriella to get to her bag.

She stood there a bit confused and wracked her brain, trying to remember if Sharpay ever told her about this. She couldn't recall a time they ever even talked about the musical other than the fact that Sharpay was going to be in it. "Director? Since when did you become the director? You never told me this." She wasn't accusing her but asked it out of pure curiosity.

Sharpay took a water bottle out from her bag and took a sip from it. "Do I have to tell you everything?" She muttered but Gabriella heard her.

Gabriella was a little surprised at her behavior. She knew Sharpay was frustrated with everyone on the set but she hardly ever took it out on her. In fact, Gabriella was always the one person Sharpay was never mad at when she got annoyed with everyone else. She treaded carefully because a mad Sharpay was like a ticking time bomb. She remembered when they went to a restaurant and they didn't have their reservation. Sharpay bitched out the maître'd and almost brought him to tears. She made Medusa look like Miss America when she was mad.

"No, but being the director is a big deal. I know how much you wanted it, so I thought you'd tell me." She put her hands in her pockets and shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, I made director." Sharpay walked back on the set. "And I did not expect to work with this team of incompetent idiots!" She yelled around the empty stage but she could see people scurrying from behind the curtains. Gabriella heard someone clear his throat from somewhere in the auditorium. "Except for you, Ryan!"

"Thanks, sis!" Ryan's voice came from backstage.

Sharpay turned and brought her attention back to Gabriella. "I actually have to get back to work, so I'll talk you some other time, okay?" She started to walk back to the center, calling people back to work.

"Wait, can't we hang out once you're done here?"

"I'm going to be here until very late."

Gabriella looked around trying to assess how much work actually had to be done today. "Well, I'll just wait here then."

Sharpay let out a frustrated sigh walking back to edge of the stage. "Why don't you just hang out with Troy for the rest of the day?" She looked over at Troy who was climbing over the seats trying to appease his boredom.

She stared at Sharpay wondering why she was trying to get rid of her. If she didn't know any better, it seemed like Sharpay was mad at her.

"Do you not want me to be here?" she finally asked.

Sharpay groaned a little. "No, it's not that. Gabriella, I'm _really_ busy and…" She bit her lip. "Fine, you can stay here if you want, but you're going to be really bored." With that Sharpay left Gabriella and returned to work.

She just stood there bewildered on why Sharpay acted the way she did. She knew she was stressed but she couldn't think of a good reason why Sharpay just treated her like one of her little workers in the play. Did she miss something?

"So are you going to stick around, because I really don't want to stay here?" Troy came up behind her breaking her from her thoughts. He took a piece of wood that was laying on stage and started playing with it.

Gabriella scratched her head still trying to figure out Sharpay's behavior. "Yeah, you can leave. I'm staying until Sharpay's done." She took the wood away from him because he was now using it like a sword.

"Okay, well I'll see you later, then." Troy started to walk out of the auditorium but turned around and yelled, "Hey, Ryan! Meet me at Chad's later tonight when you're done. Guys' night!"

"Alright! I'll see you later!" Ryan's voice boomed from the still unknown part of backstage. Gabriella shook her head in amusement and took a seat in the middle aisle watching Sharpay and the rest of the drama club work on the set. She absolutely admired Sharpay's devotion to the theatre. She was a true Thespian as well as a stagehand. Although Sharpay never really lifted a finger during the actual set up, the drama club would be absolutely lost without her direction.

Sharpay was right. Gabriella started to get extremely bored just sitting there with nothing to do. She actually dozed off making three seats a make shift bed. She woke up when she heard someone yell Sharpay's name. Gabriella watched a brunette girl she's never met before run up the stage carrying an armload of various things.

"So sorry I'm late. There was a long line at the fabric store but I got you the material that you wanted." The girl handed Sharpay a large bag filled with what Gabriella could only assume was the fabric.

Sharpay's face lit up when she saw her. "Oh my God, thank you so much. I swear you're the only one reliable here, Christine." Christine smiled, putting the rest of the things she was holding on the ground.

"I also got you some coffee." She pulled out a Starbucks cup from what appeared like nowhere and gave it to Sharpay.

Sharpay's eyes brightened when she saw the coffee and gave Christine a huge hug. "You are my savior. I've been craving caffeine all day. Seriously, what the hell would I do without you here?"

Christine put her finger to her chin in thought. "Oh suffer endlessly, no doubt."

Gabriella felt a twinge of jealously watching the two converse. She had no idea who the hell this Christine girl was and why Sharpay was acting all nice to her. She knew Sharpay hated tardiness and she seemed like she was really late. Gabriella had been there for almost two hours and she had just gotten there. If it were any other person, Gabriella knew Sharpay would have yelled until she lost her voice.

Gabriella noticed how Sharpay suddenly became happy and less frustrated when Christine arrived. She was smiling and actually laughing. Gabriella became increasingly annoyed with Christine and how she giggled hysterically at everything Sharpay said. She felt a strong urge to rip Christine's arm off and beat her with it when she kept touching Sharpay every chance she got.

_Who the hell is this bubbly little princess and why does she keep touching Sharpay? Seriously little girl, stop touching my girlfriend!_

"Alright everyone take ten!" Sharpay called another break before she disappeared backstage. Christine followed her.

Gabriella almost yelled out but stopped herself. Thankfully, Ryan finally came out from wherever the hell he was and kept her company.

"Hey, I can't believe you're staying here until we're done." He climbed the seats just as Troy did earlier and plopped himself down right next to her.

"Yeah, well I really wanted to hang out with Sharpay." Gabriella's eyes were glued to the stage waiting for Sharpay and Christine to come back out. "Who's that girl?"

Ryan followed her gaze. "What girl?"

"The girl who followed Sharpay backstage. I've never seen her before." She tried to sound as casual as she could.

"Oh, you mean Christine? Yeah, she just joined the drama club. She's one of Sharpay's many slaves," he cleared his throat. "I mean P.A.s"

Gabriella laughed. "P.A.?"

"Production Assistant," he clarified. "I'm the A.D. Assistant Director." He stuck out his chest and smiled proudly.

She smiled as well. "That's awesome." Gabriella was extremely happy for him but her newfound interest in Christine stopped her from congratulating her friend. "So how come I've never seen this girl around?"

Ryan looked at her suspiciously. "She's actually a Junior—"

"A Junior?!" She asked incredulously. "Sharpay's actually being nice to a Junior?"

He chuckled. "Yeah I know, but apparently she's really good at what she does. I mean she's the only one that doesn't bug the crap out of Sharpay." He looked at his watch realizing that the ten minute break was almost done. "Alright I should get back before Sharpay flips a bitch. Here," Ryan reached in his back pocket and handed Gabriella his iPod. "So you have something to do while you wait."

Gabriella took it and smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Ryan." He smiled at her before he went back to the stage. She watched everyone get back to work and Sharpay and Christine coming out laughing. Gabriella gritted her teeth. She really didn't like this girl.

She didn't think she could stand to watch Sharpay and Christine laugh for another second. Time seemed to go extra slow when Christine showed up. It was nearly eleven when Sharpay was satisfied with what was accomplished and dismissed everybody. Gabriella got up from her seat and walked towards the stage and waited for everyone else to leave. Christine hung around for a bit helping Sharpay clean up some space.

"Go home, Christine. I can clean this up myself." Sharpay took some paintbrushes from her and shoved her towards the edge of stage. "Seriously, you've done enough."

Christine smiled and put the rest of things she was cleaning to the side. "You sure? Because I really don't need to be home for a while."

_Yes, go home,_ Gabriella thought.

"Yes. I'll see you later."

She smiled again. "Alright, night." Christine turned to walk down the stage when she saw Gabriella standing there. "Oh hi."

"Hi," Gabriella said through gritted teeth. Christine looked extremely uncomfortable walking pass her. Gabriella glared at her retreating form before walking up to Sharpay.

She had her back towards her, cleaning up a few more things on the set. Gabriella didn't know if Sharpay realized she was standing there. "So, that was long."

Sharpay jumped, dropping what she was holding and turned around. Her annoyed expression returned. "I told you I had to be here 'til late. You didn't have to stay." She bent down and picked up the paintbrushes she dropped and chucked them to the side.

Gabriella started to get a little irked at Sharpay's short temper with her. "I wasn't complaining. I was just saying." Sharpay didn't say anything but walked away appearing not to have heard anything Gabriella just said. "Um, yeah I was talking to you." She knew Sharpay didn't hear her, but she followed her anyways. Sharpay was in her dressing room gathering up all her things.

Gabriella leaned against the doorframe watching Sharpay check her reflection in the mirror. "What's wrong with you?" She asked after a few seconds of watching Sharpay fix her hair.

She turned to look at her, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Gabriella resisted the urge to scream out the obvious. "You've been snapping at me ever since I got here. Did I make you mad somehow?"

Sharpay sighed. Picking up her bag, she walked over to Gabriella. "No, sorry. I just been really tired and stressed about the musical. I've been snapping at everyone."

_Not at Christine._ Gabriella wanted to point that out but decided against it. "Well, the day is over. No need to stress anymore, let's get out here." Gabriella held out her hand. Sharpay waited a beat before taking it. They walked out of the auditorium and to the parking lot where they ran into Ryan getting into his car.

"Oh, Sharpay, tell mom that I'm going to Chad's tonight and hanging out with him and Troy."

Sharpay unlocked the doors to her car and put her stuff in the back. Gabriella got in the passenger side. "What time are you going to be home?"

Ryan eyes looked to the sky thinking. "I have no idea, I might be too tired and just crash on the couch or something."

Sharpay walked over to him and pulled his hat over his eyes and smiled when he had difficulty trying to take it off. "Okay, but get home early tomorrow. Mom wants us to go with her to that breakfast."

He groaned and banged his head on the roof of his car. "You mean with the Jenkins? I hate them."

Sharpay laughed. "Well, I hate them too but they're the ones who are friends with almost every theatre school in New Mexico so we _have_ to play nice."

"Good thing we're actors, right? Alright, I'm going to go. You girls have a good night. Bye, Gabriella." He waved at her before giving his sister a hug.

"Bye, Ryan." Gabriella smiled watching the siblings embraced. Sharpay was always so much more sensitive when it was just her and Ryan. She wished she showed that side more often.

The ride to Gabriella's house was filled with awkward silence. Sharpay hadn't said a word since they left the school. Gabriella felt like she was walking eggshells around her because she had no idea if Sharpay would snap at her again if she spoke. She really wanted to ask her about Christine but feared that the conversation would probably end really badly. They were almost home when Gabriella finally took a leap of faith and asked her.

"So, who was that girl who stayed to clean up?" She tried to make her voice sound nonchalant.

Sharpay didn't even glance at her. "Christine? She's a P.A."

_Yes, I know. Why were you so nice to her and snapping at me?_. "I haven't seen her around. She new?"

"Yes."

Gabriella waited to see if she would say more. "She's not a Senior right?"

"No."

She stopped asking her questions because she knew that Sharpay's monosyllabic answers were as much as she was going to get. Sharpay finally pulled up to her driveway and put the car in the park. Gabriella unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to face her.

Sharpay just stared ahead waiting for her to leave the car. Gabriella wrung out her hands and took a deep breath. She didn't know why she suddenly felt uncomfortable. "Um, my mom's out of town, want to spend the night?" She had no idea why she asked. The way the night was going, Gabriella already knew the answer.

Sharpay rubbed her eyes. "Actually, I'm really tired. I just want to go home and sleep. Plus, I have that breakfast tomorrow."

She tried again. "How about lunch? Want to meet me at Shay's tomorrow?" Shay's was a restaurant they always went to for pretty much every meal.

Sharpay took a deep breath and finally looked at Gabriella. "Yeah sure," she said half-heartedly.

She smiled. A positive answer. "Okay, say around one?"

"Yeah okay."

Gabriella leaned in to kiss her goodnight but Sharpay turned her face so she kissed her cheek instead. She looked at her for a second trying to figure out what was going on in her head. Defeated, she opened the door and got out of the car. "Goodnight."

"Night." Sharpay pulled out the driveway the second she step foot on the pavement.

Gabriella watched Sharpay's taillights disappear from view. She thought about the events of the day and wondered why everything went the way it did. Gabriella knew that there was more to Sharpay's bad mood than just the stress of the musical. She tried not to worry, but Christine really bothered her. The way Sharpay treated her and how flirty she was. Gabriella always knew that she was a naturally flirtatious person but this time seemed different.

She tried not to think about it as she went to bed. Maybe she could talk to Sharpay at lunch tomorrow and clarify everything. A terrible feeling buried itself in Gabriella's heart. She knew something wasn't right. Gabriella closed her eyes as she went to sleep and prayed she was wrong.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** _High School Musical_ is a property of Disney. I do not own any of these characters, I just like playing with them. :-)

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Part Two:

The same feeling was still there when Gabriella woke up the next morning. It felt like she hadn't slept at all. She kept having horrible dreams about Sharpay leaving her in a dark room and shutting the door. Gabriella would try to open it but it wouldn't budge. All she could do was bang on it yelling out Sharpay's name.

Gabriella tried to shake the dream off and called Troy. It rang almost four times when he finally picked up.

"'Ello?" he answered, slurred and sleepy.

Gabriella looked at her watch to see what time it was. It was still early, well early for Troy. "Oh, I'm sorry did I wake you?"

"No." She waited a second. "Okay, you did."

"Had fun at Chad's?"

"Still here at Chad's…I think."

Gabriella smiled picturing a disheveled Troy looking around confused. "Guys' night, eh? Did you guys get drunk and hire some strippers?"

Troy laughed. "No, we actually just stayed up and played video games."

"How very junior high."

"Shut up, was there a reason you called?"

"Yes, actually, do you mind giving me a ride to Shay's today?" She crossed her fingers hoping he'd say yes. Even though she joked about it, Gabriella did feel bad for making Troy drive her everywhere. She still had yet to get her license.

"I can manage that. Why you going there anyways?"

"Sharpay and I are having lunch."

"And she couldn't give you a ride?"

Gabriella bit her lip suddenly nervous about meeting Sharpay. "I didn't want to ask her."

"You didn't want to ask your girlfriend for a ride to go on your lunch date? That makes sense," he said sarcastically.

"She's just been stressed." She didn't know why she was suddenly making excuses for Sharpay's odd behavior. She still didn't even know herself.

"Okay. But yeah, I can give you a ride. What time do you need to be there?"

"One."

"Okay, I'll pick you up around 12:30. See you later."

"Bye."

Troy dropped her off at the restaurant a little before one. Gabriella got a table at their usual spot and waited nervously for Sharpay. She prayed that the conversation that she planned out in her head would go smoothly.

She read the menu glancing casually at the door, waiting for Sharpay to arrive. It was exactly one o'clock so she should have been here by now. She was the most punctual person Gabriella knew.

"What can I get for you?" The waitress asked Gabriella.

"Can I start off with a coke and she'll," she indicated the empty seat across from her, "have an iced tea." She glanced at her watch.

1:05.

The waitress returned shortly with the drinks. "Are you ready to order or do you want to wait for you friend?"

She looked at the door again. "I'm just going to wait for a little bit, thanks."

1:15

Gabriella took out her phone and checked to see if she had any missed calls. There was none. She flipped it open and dialed Sharpay's number. It rang and rang.

"Hi, you've reached Sharpay…" Gabriella hung up.

_Maybe she's stuck in traffic._

1:35

"Do you want to order now?" The waitress had come back for the fifth time.

"Can I just have a garden salad with thousand island dressing?" Her voice was deflated. The waitress looked at her sympathetically. Gabriella put her head in her hands and groaned in frustration. She called Sharpay six times and they all went to voicemail.

2:00

Gabriella stared at her empty plate and Sharpay's iced tea. Well more like tea for all the ice had melted. She dialed her phone again and called someone she knew would pick up.

Troy answered. "Hello?"

"Hey," she tried to sound normal but she knew Troy would see right through it.

"What's the matter?" He already sensed something was wrong.

"Sharpay didn't show up for lunch, and sorry to ask again, but can you pick me up?" She put her face in her palm and rubbed it.

"I'm sorry, and yeah don't worry about it. I'm actually like right across the street. I'll see you in a minute."

"Thanks, Troy." Gabriella flipped her phone closed and waited for Troy. Anger mustering up inside of her.

Troy showed up shortly and sat down next to her. "Hey, how you doing?"

"Extremely pissed off. I can't believe she stood me up." She flipped open her phone again seeing if Sharpay called. She didn't know why, but she still had some hope that Sharpay's number would be under her missed calls list.

"Maybe she lost track of time?" Troy knew it was a lame excuse but he'd do anything to make her feel better.

"Yeah, but she won't even pick up her phone. I've called her six freaking times." She squeezed her phone in her hand ready to chuck it on the floor.

"Maybe she doesn't have her phone with her?" He took a sip of the iced tea and immediately spit it out. "Gross."

"Yeah that's been sitting there for an hour." She sighed and dialed Sharpay's number again. And as expected, it went to voicemail for the seventh time. Frustrated, she flipped her phone closed and stared at it, a thought crossing her mind. "Hey Troy, can I borrow your phone?"

"What's wrong with yours?"

"I just want to see something." Troy reached in his pocket and handed Gabriella his cell phone. Gabriella scrolled down and found Sharpay's number and hit send. It rang two times.

"Hello?" Gabriella's heart sank when she heard Sharpay's voice. She picked up for Troy and not for her. The bad feeling she had all last night was finally confirmed when she heard another voice on the other end. "Hello? Troy?" Gabriella hung up. She knew that other voice was Christine.

"Troy, can we leave now?"

He looked at her concerned when she handed him back his phone. "You okay? Who were you on the phone with?"

Gabriella shook her head not wanting to talk about it. "Can we just go?" Troy didn't need to be asked again and just took her home.

Gabriella felt absolutely betrayed. She really didn't know what hurt the most: The fact that Sharpay had stood her up, or that she purposely didn't answer any of her calls. Or that she was with Christine when she should have been with her.

The next day at school, Gabriella was determined to find Sharpay and confront her about everything that happened yesterday. She found her in the courtyard talking to none other than Christine. They were laughing again when Gabriella approached them.

"Sharpay."

Sharpay stopped laughing and looked at Gabriella's very serious face. "Hey, what's up?" Her voice was light.

"Can we talk?" Gabriella glared at Christine. "Alone." Christine sensed the tension and politely excused herself.

"Could you be more rude to her?" Sharpay snapped when Christine left.

Gabriella stared at her in disbelief. How could Sharpay be mad at her? No, she wasn't going to let Sharpay bitch her out when she was absolutely seething inside. "Where were you yesterday?"

Sharpay grabbed her bag and started walking back inside the school acting like she didn't know what Gabriella was talking about. "Yesterday?"

"Yeah. Lunch, Shay's, one o'clock? You were supposed to meet me there." Gabriella was really getting sick of always chasing after her when she was trying to have a conversation.

"Oh yeah. Sorry." She didn't sound apologetic at all. "I forgot. I went shopping with Christine for more stuff for the play."

"I called you." She glared at her. "_Seven times_, and you never called back."

"I didn't get signal where I was." She fibbed playing with the ring on her finger. Sharpay only did that when she was lying.

Gabriella didn't even bother telling her that she had called her with Troy's phone. Sharpay was now officially lying and keeping things from her.

"You could've at least called me later. I looked like a complete idiot in the restaurant by myself."

Sharpay rolled her eyes stopping in front of a classroom. "Well sorry that I made_you_ look bad. I'm sorry that having lunch with you slipped my mind. I actually had important things to do yesterday."

The words were like a slap to Gabriella's face. She looked at Sharpay trying to figure out what to say next. Stone cold brown eyes just stared back at her. She was at complete lost for words when the bell rang. Sharpay didn't wait for a response and entered the classroom.

_I actually had important things to do yesterday._

It kept echoing in Gabriella's head the rest of the day. Why was Sharpay treating her like this? When did she suddenly become not important to Sharpay? Gabriella searched her brain trying to figure out exactly when everything started to go downhill. She thought they were fine. Sure, they hardly ever saw each other the past several weeks, but now it seemed like Sharpay completely changed overnight.

Gabriella didn't give up trying to talk to her the next few days, but every attempt was a complete failure. She didn't think she had any more argument left in her after fighting with Sharpay for what seemed like the hundredth time in just one week. Gabriella always tried to talk to her after school, but she always left right away to go to play rehearsals. Then their routine fighting would start. It was always the same.

"Sharpay, I really need to talk to you." She once again chased her down the hallways towards the auditorium.

Sharpay groaned in frustration. "I have to get to rehearsals. I not only have to rehearse, but I also have to direct. That's twice the work. Why do keep missing that?" She pushed passed Freshmen that were in her way. At this point, she didn't even care that they were practically flying towards the lockers.

Gabriella apologized to them trying to keep up with Sharpay's pace. "I know you're busy. But seriously, we need to talk." She knew that Sharpay had once again tuned her out the minute she entered the auditorium and started to command her little minions to do work.

"Come on, people! Let's get to work, we don't have all day!" Sharpay continued to ignore Gabriella as she walked up the stage. Everyone cowered when they heard her heels stomping on the wooden floor sensing that Sharpay was a lot angrier than normal. "I swear to God, if this set is not done by the end of today, I'm going to rip all your faces off and wear them for a Halloween mask. Got it?" And in one quick movement, the stagehands all dispersed and started to work on the set. Gabriella stared at her, raising an eyebrow in disapproval.

"Seriously, I really don't think threatening them will get the work done faster." She had no idea why she said it once she saw the look on Sharpay's face.

Sharpay was ready to explode running her hands through her hair like she was going to rip it out. She let out an angry growl. "And seriously, Gabriella? I don't need _you_ telling me how to run my show. So will you please just leave, because I can't get any work done with you nagging me." She seemed fifty times taller on the stage staring down at her. She was hot with anger that Gabriella could almost feel the heat radiating off her.

"Um, Sharpay?" A timid voice broke the tension.

"What?!" Sharpay turned around and saw Christine standing there. Gabriella was ready to lunge at her. Leave it to Christine to interrupt her fight with Sharpay. "Oh, sorry. What is it Christine?" Sharpay asked her, softening a bit.

Gabriella fumed with anger listening to Sharpay's affectionate tone with the girl she absolutely hated. She snapped. "Excuse me, _Christine,_ but Sharpay and I were in the middle of a conversation. So why don't you just turn back around and leave?" Crossing her arms across her chest, Gabriella gave Christine a death glare. She looked absolutely terrified.

Sharpay turned around and shot daggers at Gabriella. "What is it, Christine?" She asked again not taking her eyes off Gabriella. It was like they were having a glare contest. Both girls looked like they wanted to kill someone.

Christine swallowed wishing she could disappear that very moment. "Um, the bulb in one of the spot lights is busted, and I don't know where the extra ones are." She tried to look anywhere but at the person who looked like she wanted to rip her limbs off.

Sharpay continued to glare at Gabriella as she answered Christine's question. "It's alright, there's some downstairs in storage. I'll get it myself. I need to get out of here anyways." The last statement was directed towards Gabriella.

Gabriella just shook her head as she watched Sharpay leave. She looked back on stage and saw that Christine still hadn't left. "Isn't there something you need to do?" she spat. Christine didn't say anything and quickly joined the other workers.

Absolutely fed up with the way Sharpay had been acting and treating her, Gabriella marched down to storage with every intention of cornering Sharpay. The door was ajar when she approached it. Taking a deep breath, she pushed it hard and stomped right in startling Sharpay in the process.

"Okay, that's it. We're not leaving here until you tell me why the hell you've been treating me like shit the past few days. Why you've been a bitch to me and lying to me and spending time with _her_." Gabriella didn't even realize she was shaking with anger and her voice was faltering.

Sharpay's eyes widened with horror when Gabriella started to walk towards her. "Gabriella don't—"

"No! We're not leaving—" She was interrupted by the slamming of the door and jumped in surprise at the loud sound. She turned around and looked at the closed door suddenly getting a major case of déjà vu. Why did this seem so familiar?

"Well you're right about not leaving." Sharpay sighed in frustration and walked to the now closed entrance and exit. "Because you just locked us in here!" She pulled on the handle showing Gabriella that it wouldn't budge.

Not wanting to believe Sharpay, she grabbed the handle herself and tried again. "It's locked!" Gabriella started to panic. Her and close quarters were never a good mix.

Sharpay rolled her eyes and kicked the door. "You think? Why the hell did you follow me down here anyways?" She crossed the small room and stood by the metal shelves that held numerous supplies that were used around the school.

Gabriella looked at her in disbelief. "Because I want to fucking talk to you for the last time! You've been avoiding all my calls." She threw her hands down to her side in frustration. "Why the hell are you acting like this? What did I do wrong? You've been a complete bitch to me these past several days." She knew she was babbling, but at this point, Gabriella didn't care anymore. She wanted to know the reason why the person she loves was treating her this way.

Sharpay put her face in her hands and growled again. She gritted her teeth. "'I, me, my.' My God, Gabriella. Everything is not about you!" Her voice suddenly got an octave higher that she even surprised herself.

Gabriella took a step back when Sharpay yelled. "What?" Her voice was a whisper.

Sharpay took a deep breath trying to calm herself. "You've been so clingy and needy. I can't stand it, Gabriella. I can't constantly be at your beck and call every second. I mean, my God, I have my own life and it does not only revolve around you." For the first time in days, Sharpay wasn't yelling at her, but Gabriella wish she was. She'd rather have Sharpay yell than listen to the words that were coming out of her mouth right now. She knew what was coming.

Sighing, Sharpay kicked a stray object on the floor. "Gabriella, you and I haven't been right for weeks now, and everything in my life has been so hectic. You… you just don't seem to fit in it anymore." She looked down avoiding eye contact.

_Don't say it. Please don't say it. _ Gabriella gulped trying her hardest not to fall apart that very second. "Come on, Sharpay. We can make this work. I promise I won't nag you anymore and try to see you when you're busy." She knew she was begging but she didn't care. She didn't want to lose her. "I'm sorry I've been so clingy lately, I just really miss you." Gabriella attempted to look into her eyes trying figure out what she was thinking.

Sharpay just shook her head, eyes still staring at the floor. "No, we can't. I can't."

_Don't say it. Please. _ "Sharpay." Her heart was beating so fast that she thought it was going to break her chest. "I love you." It sounded pathetic.

Sighing again, Sharpay brought her head up and finally looked Gabriella in the eyes.

_Please, don't._

"I guess I didn't love you like I thought I did. This isn't working out." She paused and exhaled deeply. "I can't do this anymore." Her shoulders slumped down as if she were giving up.

Gabriella stood rooted to the spot feeling something inside her break. She felt dizzy and the walls appeared to be closing in on her. Everything started spinning as she felt her stomach churn. She was going to throw up. The door chose to open at the very moment.

"Hey, I was wondering where you guys were." Ryan looked at the two girls.

Gabriella felt the sour bile rush to her throat and brought her hand to her mouth. She quickly ran out the room as fast as she could barely hearing the concern calls from Ryan. She found the nearest bathroom and pushed open a stall. She threw up all the contents in her stomach clutching the sides of the toilet to steady herself. Her head was pounding. Her ears were ringing. Her body was shaking.

She slid down against the wall of the stall wiping her mouth with her sleeve. Staring straight ahead, Gabriella became numb. She had no idea how long she was sitting there when she heard the bathroom door open. A minute? Ten minutes? An hour. She didn't know.

"Gabriella?" Troy's concerned voice echoed through the empty bathroom.

"Yeah?" Her voice was raspy from throwing up. Her throat was absolutely raw. The door to the stall opened, but she didn't even bother to look up. "Hey, Troy." Completely monotone.

Troy bent down to her level and put a stray piece of hair behind Gabriella's ear. "Ryan called me." He didn't ask her if she was all right. He knew the answer. "Want me to take you home?"

Her eyes were fixed on one spot on the wall. "Okay." Troy helped her up but she her legs felt like they were made of lead.

"You're shaking." Gabriella didn't feel when Troy put his hoodie around her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and walked her out of the bathroom. Her vision was completely blurred; she had no idea where she was going. Troy led her out to his car and helped her into the passenger seat.

She was completely oblivious to everything around her as Troy drove her home. He just held her hand giving her the little comfort he could offer. No words were spoken. Troy felt that nothing he could say would change the fact that Gabriella was moments away from completely falling apart.

The next thing Gabriella knew was she was in her bed. She instinctively curled into a ball and was covered by a blanket Troy put on her. Her eyes automatically flashed to the framed photo of her and Sharpay that was on the nightstand. That was the last thing she saw before the events of the day took its toll on her. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** _High School Musical_ is a property of Disney. I do not own any of these characters, I just like playing with them. :-)

* * *

Part Three:

"_Hey, Sharpay, come look at this tree." Gabriella looked over at her girlfriend who was laying on the picnic blanket taking in the sun._

_"No, I'm too lazy."_

_Gabriella rolled her eyes and tossed a twig in her direction. "Get your ass over here."_

_Sharpay sat up and squinted trying to find where Gabriella was. "Why do you want me to look at a tree? I've seen them before. They're all over this park." She laid back down and closed her eyes. Hearing Gabriella approach her, she opened her eyes and saw she was standing over her blocking the sun. "Hey! I'm trying to get a tan."_

_Gabriella laughed holding her hands out to her. "Come on, just come look at it and I promise I'll let you tan in peace."_

_Sharpay finally gave in and took her hands and pulled herself up. "Alright, this better be where the Keebler elves live." She held Gabriella's hand as she led her to the giant oak tree that was a few feet away from their picnic area. Gabriella stopped and stared at it and then looked at her expectantly. Sharpay didn't know how she wanted her to react. It looked like a normal oak tree. "Okay? What's so special about this tree?"_

_Gabriella rolled her eyes again and pointed to the bark. Sharpay saw a bunch of engravings with initials, names, and dates. "Isn't that sweet?" She asked her pointing to a set of initials with a heart around it._

_"Yeah, defacing park trees. Very sweet."_

_Gabriella scoffed and playfully smacked her. Sharpay smiled. "Why do you always fail to see the sentiment in anything?"_

_"Because I'm not a romantic sap like you are."_

_"Oh shut up. I'm pretty sure this is The Lover's Tree." She looked at it dreamily._

_Sharpay raised her eyebrows and tilted her head at Gabriella. "The _what_ tree?"_

_"How can you live here your entire life and not know about The Lover's Tree?" she asked her accusingly._

_"Hey now, just because you lived in a city your entire life does not mean you know everything about it. I'm pretty sure that I didn't get one of those brochures that tell me the fun facts about Albuquerque." She looked at the tree again and noticed that some of the dates went back really far._ Geez, how long has this tree been around?

_"For your information, my mother got me those brochures. I just read them out of curiosity," she stated, offended._

_Sharpay looked at her amused. She wasn't actually being serious about them. "Okay, oh wise one, tell me the story about The Lover's Tree."_

_Gabriella sat down by the tree Indian style and pulled Sharpay down next to her. "Well, from what I read, when Albuquerque was first being established, there was this young couple in love."_

_"Oh it's one of these stories," Sharpay said rolling her eyes. Gabriella shot her a look. "Sorry, continue."_

_"Anyways, there was a battle going on to claim the territory and the guy had to fight in it. So of course he had to leave his love but he promised her he'll always come back to her. He carved their names into an oak tree promising her that he'll return to this very spot and marry her once the battle was over." She watched Sharpay seeing if anything she was saying was actually interesting her in any way._

_"So did he come back from battle?" Sharpay asked genuinely curious._

_"No. He died."_

_"Well that's depressing."_

_Gabriella laughed. "Yeah, but he somewhat kept his promise. He left a wedding band on one of the branches and when she came back to this tree, she found it. Couples have been carving their names onto this tree ever since then." She looked at Sharpay and then back to the tree hoping she'd take a hint. "I always thought it was sweet."_

_Sharpay looked at Gabriella knowing exactly where she was going with this. "Do you want us to carve our names on this tree?"_

_Gabriella gave her a toothy smile. "No, I'm just saying it's romantic."_

_She blew out a puff of air. "Gabriella, you know how I feel about these things. I don't think we need to declare our feelings for each other by carving it into an old oak tree." Gabriella frowned in disappointment. Sharpay sighed and reached out to hold Gabriella's hand, rubbing her knuckles with her thumb. Looking back to the tree, Sharpay got up and went to the picnic blanket._

_"Hey, where are you going?" Gabriella called after her._

_"Just stay there, I'll be right back." Gabriella watched Sharpay take something out of her purse then walk back to her. She didn't say anything as she approached the tree with a metal nail file in her hand._

_Gabriella looked on in disbelief when Sharpay started to carve into it with the nail file. "You're actually doing it?"_

_Sharpay smiled despite of herself. "You're so lucky I love you," she muttered, carving vigorously. It was really hard without the proper tools. A nail file was a really poor substitute for a knife. "There." She blew away some wood shavings and showed it to Gabriella._

_Gabriella absolutely beamed. "Sharpay, oh my God, this is so…" She looked at the carving. "Not our initials." She turned to Sharpay with a confused look. She had not carved an 'S' and an 'G' but instead what looked liked a fancy 'M' and 'H.' "Um, Sharpay, unless you fashioned us with new nicknames, our initials aren't 'M' and 'H.'"_

_She shook her head and laughed at Gabriella. "It's not an 'M' and 'H,' it's the zodiatic symbols for Scorpio and Pisces."_

_Gabriella looked back at it and then started to smile when realization dawned on her. "Like you and me?"_

_Sharpay smiled back. "Yes, like you and me." Gabriella threw her arms around neck knocking her down on the grass and then kissed her._

_"I love you."_

_Sharpay ran a finger down Gabriella's face and then traced her smile. "I love you, too, but you owe me a new nail file." She held up the now broken tool and showed it to Gabriella. She laughed, throwing it aside and kissed her again._

Gabriella slowly opened her eyes letting the dream and memory fade away. She couldn't remember where she was until she saw Troy by the window reading one of her magazines. His eyebrows were furrowed reading the contents of the pages before him.

Troy sensed Gabriella looking at him and put the magazine down. She looked so small hidden in the blankets. Her eyes were absolutely empty. "Hey." He said quietly giving her a comforting smile.

Gabriella blinked a few times. Her gaze immediately wandered back to the framed photo remembering the dream she just had. Then, the dam inside her broke and the tears poured down her face. Troy approached the bed not saying a word but his heart was breaking for her. He got into the bed and wrapped his arms around Gabriella holding her tight. She put her face into his chest, muffling the sound of her cries.

--&--&--&--

Gabriella didn't want to go to school. Not because she didn't want to see Sharpay but because she felt physically ill. She hadn't eaten since she threw up the day before and right now she didn't think she could hold anything down. Her head was still throbbing in pain and she felt cold even though she was still buried in her blankets.

Gabriella sat up and wrapped her arms around herself. Shivering, she pulled the drawstring on the hoodie she was wearing a little tighter. She then realized that it was the same one that Troy had given her yesterday. She smiled as she brought the sweater to her face inhaling the scent. Troy had stayed with her the entire night, lying to his parents and said he was doing a project and he couldn't be home. She had no idea what she'd do if she didn't have Troy in her life. He was her rock. Her protector. He always dropped everything he was doing just to make sure she was all right.

She couldn't help but wonder if she and Troy had stayed together if he would have broken her heart the way Sharpay just did. Gabriella shook the thoughts out of her head. She couldn't imagine Troy ever hurting her. He was her knight and shining armor. Her thoughts were interrupted when her knight came through the door carrying a tray of food.

Troy smiled as he carried the tray to the bed. "I thought you should eat a little something." He set it across her legs.

Gabriella smiled weakly at him and looked down at her breakfast. "Thanks, but I'm really not that hungry." She pulled her sleeves down over her hands.

He sat down next to her and picked up a bowl filled with hot oatmeal. Gabriella could see the steam rising. "Come on, just a little something to put in your stomach. And you know I suck at cooking but I attempted to make you oatmeal. Cinnamon apple, your favorite." He waved the bowl in her face earning a small laugh from her. "It's not as great as your mom's but since she's out of town, I tried my best."

Gabriella gingerly took the bowl from his hands and grabbed the spoon. She swirled it around the oatmeal but made no attempt in trying to eat it.

Troy just watched her. "Do you want me to spoon feed you? Because you know I do it all the time with my baby cousin and I do a killer airplane noise." She laughed again before taking a small portion onto the spoon. Bringing it to her mouth, Gabriella blew on it a little before eating it.

He looked at her expectantly. "So, how is it?"

Gabriella licked her lips now just realizing how chapped they were and smiled at Troy. "Not bad. Ten points, Bolton."

"Thanks. Now, do you think you can eat a little more?"

She looked down at the bowl and took a deep breath. She thought it was absolutely pathetic that she had to muster up the strength just to eat a little breakfast. How could she possibly face Sharpay if she couldn't even eat a bowl of oatmeal? Gabriella tried her best to finish it but only managed to eat half before her stomach just couldn't take anymore.

Gabriella sighed and pushed the bowl aside. Troy could sense she wanted to say something. "I don't want to go to school today." She looked down at her hands.

Troy glanced at his watch. They still had an hour before school started. "You don't have to. I'll stay here with you if you want."

Gabriella looked at him wondering how someone can be so sweet. "Troy, you don't have to do that. Your dad will be so pissed if you cut school."

"I don't care. I don't want you to be alone."

Gabriella welled up with tears. Alone. She was alone now. Sharpay left her.

Troy reached over and wiped a tear away that slid down her face. "Hey, I'll always be here for you, okay? I'll never leave." Gabriella broke down again as Troy pulled her into his arms.

Gabriella finally decided to go to school after fighting with herself for almost an hour. Even though she felt like she was going to fall apart every other second, Gabriella knew she couldn't just hide from the world. She dreaded talking to anyone because obviously no one knew what happened between her and Sharpay. Troy and Ryan were probably the only people aware of the situation. She was thankful that Troy was by her side. Literally. He held her hand the entire time they were walking down the hallways.

She mostly looked down at the floor letting Troy lead her through the halls. Every time she saw even a glimpse of blonde hair, she immediately squeezed Troy's hand tighter. Gabriella knew seeing Sharpay was completely inevitable considering they had Chemistry together. And not only that, they also happened to be lab partners.

"Alright, I'll see you at lunch. We don't have to eat in the cafeteria, we can eat up on the roof like we used to," Troy suggested when they stopped in front of Gabriella's first class.

Gabriella almost forgot about lunch and the fact that all their friends sat at one table. "It's alright we don't have to do that. People will just start asking questions and I don't think I can handle that just yet. Just promise to sit next to me the entire time?"

Troy held out his pinky to her. "Pinky swear." Gabriella smiled and then linked her pinky with his.

She was an absolute mess the entire day. Normally Gabriella was a very focused person never letting anything distract her. But now, it was almost impossible to listen to any of the teachers when her mind kept thinking about Sharpay and the fact that Chemistry was approaching faster and faster. Time seemed to go by double speed when Gabriella realized that her next hour was Chemistry.

She walked slowly down the Science hallway hoping that she wouldn't run into her on the way. Gabriella stopped before she entered the classroom debating on whether to just run the other direction. She didn't want to go in. She couldn't.

_Come on, Gabriella. You can cry about it later, just go inside._

Gabriella took a deep breath and stepped inside the classroom. Her heart immediately sank the second she saw Sharpay was already sitting at their lab table. Out of all the days Sharpay got to Chemistry first, it had to be the day after she broke up with her. Looking down, Gabriella made her way to the table and sat in the chair. She scooted her seat away from Sharpay.

"Hey," Sharpay greeted quietly. Gabriella didn't say anything but instead took out her textbook and opened it. Sharpay bit her lip. "How are you?"

_Is she serious? Did she really just ask me how I was?_

She remained silent and she could feel Sharpay's gaze burning a hole on the side of her head.

"Gabriella, come on," she pleaded.

"Alright class," Gabriella was grateful that the teacher finally started the lesson. This way she can properly ignore Sharpay. "It's Wednesday! You know what that means?"

A chorus of groans came from the class and Gabriella's felt nauseous. It _was_ Wednesday. Wednesdays were…

"Lab day!" The teacher exclaimed. "Alright, here's the lab." She rolled up the projector screen revealing the instructions on the board. "And I expect it to be done by the end of this hour and the lab report handed in tomorrow. Remember the safety rules, work efficiently, and have a good time." There were sounds of chairs being scraped against the floor and students gathering the supplies they needed for the lab.

Gabriella didn't move an inch. _Why did it have to be lab day?_. She saw from the corner of her eye that Sharpay was still staring at her.

"So are we going to work on this lab or just sit here?" Her voice was light in attempt to try to ease the situation. Once again Sharpay didn't receive a response. "Okay, I'm just going to get the stuff we need and we'll start working on it." She sighed in defeat and left the lab table. Gabriella watched her letting out a long breath.

_How the hell am I going to do this?_

Sharpay returned shortly carrying all the supplies they needed along with two sets of lab aprons and goggles handing them to Gabriella. She took them without looking at her. Pulling her hair up, Gabriella put on the goggles and apron and read the first step on the board.

_Just follow routine,_ Gabriella thought. _I always do the measurements and Sharpay always records the data. You don't have to talk to her._

She took a beaker and started to fill it with a chemical solution. Gabriella had no idea why but her hands were shaking and it was almost impossible to get the solution in the beaker without having it spill everywhere. Sharpay saw this and offered her assistance.

"Here, let me help you." She started to reach over but Gabriella took a step back.

"I got it," she snapped, surprising Sharpay and herself at how angry she sounded. She took a deep breath and tried again, her hands shaking worse than ever.

"Come on, Gabriella." This time Sharpay didn't give her the chance to pull away as she grabbed Gabriella's shaking hand. At the moment of contact, Gabriella dropped the beaker shattering glass all over the floor. Everyone in the classroom got startled and turned towards their direction.

"Ladies, is everything alright?" The teacher asked looking over to their lab station.

Sharpay looked down at the floor and then to Gabriella to make sure she was okay. "Yes, sorry Mrs. Mylson, just a little accident. We'll clean it up." She went to get the broom and dustpan leaving Gabriella whose eyes were glued to the shattered mess.

Gabriella wasn't even thinking as she bent down to the floor and started to clean it up with her bare hands.

"Gabriella, don't!" Sharpay came back just as Gabriella picked up a large piece of broken glass. Gabriella gasped in pain and brought her hand up quickly. A large gash appeared in the middle of her palm bleeding. "Oh my God, are you okay?" Sharpay dropped the broom and dustpan and bent down next to Gabriella reaching out to her wounded hand.

She stood up and walked far away from Sharpay. "I'm fine." Even though she wasn't. The cut started to throb in pain and was bleeding pretty profusely.

"No you're not," she said looking at her bloody hand getting slightly squeamish. "Mrs. Mylson? Can I take Gabriella to the nurse's office? She cut her hand."

"Yes, of course. Go."

Gabriella didn't want Sharpay to take her to the nurse's office. She didn't understand why she was treating her like this. Was it pity or a guilty conscience?

_So now since you don't have to deal with me, you're suddenly nice to me again?_ Gabriella thought with spite walking down the hallway. Sharpay was right behind her so she quickened her pace trying to distance herself from her. "You don't have to walk me there. I know where it is." She just kept getting angrier and angrier.

Sharpay swallowed. "That cut looks pretty deep and I just want to make sure you're okay."

_Like you care._

She looked at her hand and suddenly got nauseous again. She hated the sight of blood. They got to the office and the nurse took a look at Gabriella's injury.

"Good news is it's not that deep so it doesn't need stitches. I'll just clean it and wrap it up and you can head back to class." She left to get the things she needed leaving Gabriella and Sharpay alone.

"You can go back to class, you know," Gabriella said after a few minutes of pained silence.

Sharpay thought for a moment before deciding to stay. "I hate Chemistry, I don't want to go back just yet."

"What about the lab? Someone's got to work on it."

"I'm pretty sure Mrs. Mylson will give us an extension."

_I don't want an extension. I want to finish it so we don't have to work together any longer._

The nurse returned with a bottle of antiseptic and a few bandages. Taking a cotton ball, she opened the bottle and poured some on it. "Okay, this going to sting." Gabriella braced herself as the nurse dabbed her cut with the antiseptic. It burned. She looked away and shut her eyes.

Sharpay grimaced watching the nurse clean Gabriella's wound. And without thinking, she took Gabriella's other hand in hers. Gabriella didn't even seem to notice, squeezing it every single time the nurse touched her cut.

She finished wrapping her hand. "Okay, you're all set. Let me just go write you girls a note to get back to class."

Gabriella opened her eyes and looked at her now bandaged hand. It was throbbing under the pressure of the gauze.

"Does it hurt?" Sharpay asked still holding her hand.

Gabriella finally realized it and quickly pulled away. "Yes." She looked down at it again. "It hurts," she answered not talking about the cut.

--&--&--&--

"Oh my God, what happened?" Troy met Gabriella at the entrance of the cafeteria immediately seeing her injury.

Gabriella shrugged and held it up for him to see it a little better. "A minor mishap in Chemistry."

"Minor?" He took her hand gingerly seeing that some of the blood had seeped through the gauze. "It looks like you have the stigmata."

"Yeah...I blame Sharpay." It just slipped. She didn't really blame her but she wanted to.

Troy looked at her curiously. "What happened? Did she cut your hand?"

"No, but she might as well have. I mean she already ripped out my heart, so this," she waved around her hand. "feels like nothing."

He just looked at her sympathetically not really knowing what to say. "Are you sure you want to eat in the cafeteria?"

Gabriella sighed and shook her head. "Yes. I'm sorry. It's just easier to be mad. Anger is better than falling apart in front of everybody."

Troy understood and held out his arm. "So you want me to buy you lunch?"

She linked her arm in his. "No, I'm not hungry." She wasn't. She couldn't even think about food without getting sick.

"Come on, you have to eat something. I'll get you some fruit." He walked her to their table and they sat down. No one was there yet. "I'll be quick, okay?"

She nodded and watched him leave to go get some food. Gabriella started to pick at the edge of the bandages when Taylor and Chad arrived.

"Holy crap, what happened to you?" Taylor asked sitting down across from her.

"Accident in Chemistry." Gabriella explained. "Apparently broken glass and skin are not best friends." She joked trying to act normal so no questions would arise.

"Troy here yet? He owes me five bucks." Chad asked handing Taylor a can of pop he got from the vending machine.

"He went to buy me lunch."

"Probably with my money." He got up and ran to the cafeteria line, Gabriella and Taylor laughing in his wake.

"God, that looks like it hurts." Taylor commented, opening the can of pop. "How did you manage to cut yourself that badly?" She looked at it, wincing. The blood had now spread even more.

Gabriella sighed. "I just wasn't paying attention and dropped the beaker on the floor. Then I picked up a piece and cut my hand."

"Was Sharpay freaking out?" Taylor asked joking.

The minute she mentioned her name, Sharpay and Ryan had approached the table.

"Why was I freaking out?" She asked taking a seat next to Taylor. She stole a glance at Gabriella whose eyes had averted to the floor.

"About Gabriella's hand."

"Oh right. Yeah, but just a little." She laughed but it was forced. Ryan sat down next to Gabriella.

"You okay?" He asked her. Gabriella looked up at him and knew he wasn't talking about her hand.

"I'm okay." She spoke quietly so only he could hear her. He put a comforting hand on her knee just as Troy and Chad came back arguing.

"Seriously, Troy, give me my money." He looked extremely frustrated.

"I already did!"

Chad shook his head in disbelief. "Okay, that may have worked back in the third grade, but you need to give me my money."

Troy grinned, ignoring him and took his seat on the other side of Gabriella. He handed her a bowl of fruit smiling up at Chad. "Okay, I spent it on Gabriella's lunch, and I know you love her so you don't mind right?"

Chad glared at him shaking his head. "Oh, play the Gabriella card. You know you can't use that forever!" He sat down and almost pouted.

Gabriella smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks for the lunch, Chad."

"No problem, but it's the last time I'm doing it!" It was directed to Troy and everyone laughed.

_Alright, this isn't that bad. No one knows. Sharpay's on the other side of the table and Troy's by my side. I'll be fine._

"So Sharpay, Gabriella, you still double dating with me and Chad on Saturday?" Taylor asked once the laughter died down.

Sharpay dropped her fork and Gabriella choked on piece of watermelon she had in her mouth.

"Saturday?" Sharpay asked looking over at Gabriella. She was facing Troy but she could tell her eyes were filled with worry.

"Yeah, our designated date night every month?"

Sharpay started to play with her ring. "Um, well. I'm busy that night with the play. Sorry, I can't do it."

"Oh come on, Ryan's in the same play and we still get to hang out with him. Seriously, Sharpay none of us ever see you anymore." Taylor looked over to everybody else seeing if anyone shared the same opinion. "Right Gabriella? You were just telling me last week you don't ever see her anymore and she's your girlfriend."

Gabriella wished she hadn't said that and felt her stomach churn again. She could feel Sharpay looking at her and she couldn't take it. "I, uh, gotta go." She stood up abruptly leaving Taylor and Chad confused. Feeling the need to throw up again, Gabriella rushed to the bathroom.

Troy looked around the table before standing up and going after her.

"Okay did I say something wrong?" Taylor asked confused as ever. Ryan glanced at Sharpay seeing if she was going to say something.

Taking a deep breath, Sharpay looked up at her friends. "Gabriella and I broke up last night." She didn't wait for their reactions but stood up and left the table as well.

Ryan pushed his chair back. "Um, I'm going to go after her." With that he left Taylor and Chad at the table completely dumbfounded.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** _High School Musical_ is a property of Disney. I do not own any of these characters, I just like playing with them. :-)

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Part Four: 

After the minor debacle at the lunch table, Gabriella avoided Sharpay like the plague. She only ever saw her during Chemistry and she refused to talk to her. Sharpay gave up her attempts after a few days and they always just sat there awkwardly. Lab days were extremely difficult. They only spoke to each to other when they really had to, but other than that they worked in silence.

Gabriella felt guilty because she knew her friends were torn between them. Of course, Ryan was always by Sharpay's side because he was her brother and best friend. Troy was always by hers and Taylor and Chad never knew what to do. They wanted to hang out with both of them but felt extremely bad when the other wasn't there.

She sat on her couch one lazy Saturday afternoon watching television. Dressed in her sweats, Gabriella tried to remember a time when she actually left her house for something other than school. She was disheveled; hair in a messy bun, her eyes had bags under them. She was also a lot skinnier because nowadays she didn't have an appetite. Her mother constantly worried about her trying to get her to eat. Gabriella knew that if she didn't finish one more meal, her mother would probably think she had an eating disorder. She didn't even bother to tell her mom about Sharpay but she had a feeling that she already knew. Gabriella never mentioned her and Sharpay never called anymore.

The doorbell rang making Gabriella groan. She really didn't want to get up. _Maybe I can pretend no one's home._ It rang again, and she reluctantly got up and answered it. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw Sharpay standing at her doorstep. Her hand immediately went to fix her hair suddenly becoming self conscious about her appearance.

"Hey." Sharpay smiled at Gabriella's "just rolled out of bed" look.

Gabriella felt a lump in her throat. "What, what are you doing here?" She wrapped her arms around herself as if she was trying to shield herself from something.

Sharpay bit her lip and took out an envelope from her purse. "Um, remember when we ordered those concert tickets a few months back? Well, they just came in the mail and I wanted to give them to you." She held out the envelope to Gabriella.

She looked at warily not even making an attempt to take it. "I don't want them."

Sharpay sighed frustrated. "Come on, Gabriella. It's your favorite band."

"I don't want them," she said again with more emphasis. "Goodbye, Sharpay." She tried to shut the door but Sharpay held it open.

"I'm not leaving until you take these tickets. I know how much you want to go."

Gabriella looked at the envelope again before grabbing it out her hands. "Fine, but I'm paying for them." She turned around and went back inside.

Sharpay just followed her. "You don't have to pay for them, I bought them for you as a gift."

Gabriella ignored her, found her purse and took out her wallet. Realizing she only had enough cash for one of the tickets, she cursed herself and took out one of them from the envelope. "Here, I only have enough money for one so take your ticket." She handed the ticket and the cash to her.

Sharpay shook her head. "I'm not taking that."

Gabriella shoved it into her hands. "Yes you are, now please, leave." She couldn't believe that Sharpay was in her house and they were having this conversation. This was the most they talked in weeks and she was getting really uncomfortable. Gabriella hated the way Sharpay looked at her. Like Sharpay owed her something.

Defeated, Sharpay took the money and ticket and went to the door. Placing her hand on the doorknob, she turned around. "Just so you know, I'm going to give my ticket to Troy so he can take you the concert." Taking one more look at Gabriella's somber face, she left.

Gabriella felt like crying staring at the ticket in her hand. She wanted to go, but she wanted to go with Sharpay. They planned it so many months ago. Everything fell into the right places. It was her favorite band and the concert was near her birthday. She remembered how excited she was when Sharpay told her that she got her tickets and proceeded on telling her how she was going to spend her birthday with her. They planned dinner, the concert, the night after the concert. Everything was going to be perfect.

--&--&--&--

"So Sharpay came to visit me at work today," Troy told Gabriella later that night on the phone.

Gabriella clutched the phone to her ear. She didn't actually think Sharpay was going to go talk to Troy. Sharpay and Troy's relationship had always been a little weird. It was quite understandable though. Gabriella had been with Troy. Sharpay tried to steal Troy from Gabriella. Gabriella ended up being with Sharpay and now here they were.

"Yeah, what did she want?"

"She wanted me to take you to that concert next week. Actually she _demanded_ me to take you to that concert."

Gabriella couldn't help but smile. "And you said?" Her voice was hopeful.

"I'm sorry Gabriella, I'd love to take you but I have a basketball game that night. Why don't you ask Taylor?"

Disappointed, Gabriella twirled the ticket in her hand. She's been obsessing over it all day. "It's okay, I already asked her. She has a family engagement she needs to go to."

"Aw, baby, I'm sorry. I know how much you want to go. It's your favorite band."

"It's okay. If I really wanted to, I'd go by myself."

"I don't want you to go by yourself. I'll skip the game and take you."

"Troy," she chastised. "You actually think you can skip the game?"

He paused. "Well, no, but I still don't want you to go by yourself."

"It's okay. I'll probably hook up with someone there anyways."

"Gabriella!"

"I'm just joking." She laughed.

"It's nice to hear you do that."

She could practically see the smile in his voice. "I'm sorry I've been such a downer these past few weeks."

"Gabriella, you have nothing to apologize for. It's completely understandable."

"Yeah, I know." She rubbed her eyes getting tired. "Alright, I'm going to go to bed before I pass out. I'll see you at school."

"Alright, goodnight."

"Thanks, Troy."

"For what?"

"You know, everything." She hugged the teddy bear that Troy got her when they were going out. She slept with it every night. It still smelled like him.

"It's what I'm here for. Love you."

"Love you, too."

Gabriella decided to go the concert after days of making a pro and con list in her head. They were, in fact, her favorite band and they hardly ever toured let alone come to Albuquerque. She knew it was pretty pathetic to go to a concert by herself but she realized that no one would know her there.

She actually started to get excited when her mom dropped her off in front of the theatre where the concert was being held. It was like she was a twelve-year-old teenybopper meeting her favorite idols.

"So what time do you want me to pick you up?" Her mom asked parking the car near the entrance.

She got out of the car getting more excited by the second. "I don't know what time the concert ends, I'll call you." She started to shut the door but her mom called her back.

"Are you sure you'll be alright by yourself?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Yes, mom, I'm a big girl now, so you can leave. I'll call you later, I promise."

Ms. Montez still look worried but let it go. "Okay, be safe. Love you."

"Love you, too. Now go!" Gabriella smiled when her mom finally drove away. She looked up at the marquee by the theatre and the smile on her face grew when she saw the name of the band on it. Walking to the entrance, she gave her ticket to the usher and stepped inside. Looking around, Gabriella's insides nearly exploded with surprise when she saw Sharpay sitting in the lobby. Sharpay caught her eye and walked towards her.

"Hey," she said shouldering her purse.

Gabriella was like a deer in headlights staring at Sharpay. "What the hell are you doing here?" She didn't mean to sound so harsh but the surprise still hadn't worn off.

Sharpay shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Well I talked to Troy and Taylor and they said that they couldn't take you. Then Troy said that you were just going here by yourself and I didn't want you to be alone." She looked at her, her expression unsure.

Gabriella didn't really know what to say. "You didn't have to do this."

"I wanted to, Gabriella. I mean I promised I'd take you."

She resisted the urge to tell her that she also promised she'd never break her heart but stopped herself. She didn't want the night to be ruined with a fight, even though she knew from this moment on, everything would just continue to get awkward.

Sharpay sort of eyed her up and down. "You look really nice tonight," she commented and the awkwardness began.

Gabriella looked down and realized this was the first time in weeks she actually wore real clothes and put on some make-up. Even at school, she always just wore hoodies and jeans. "Um, thanks," she said wrapping her arms around herself again. She didn't know why but she always felt so self-conscious when Sharpay was around. They stood there for a few seconds not saying anything until Sharpay suggested they should go inside.

"I think the concert is about to start, want to go in so we get a good spot?"

"Okay." Sharpay let Gabriella go first and she followed her. There weren't that many people so Gabriella got as close as she could to the stage. Temporarily forgetting that Sharpay was with her, she squealed when she found a spot right in front. The only thing separating her and the stage was the barrier.

"Is this close enough?" Sharpay asked, startling her in the process.

"Yeah, this is fine." She could feel Sharpay right behind her. She was close. The crowd was growing and people started to push. The lights started to dim and everyone started to cheer. Gabriella felt the excitement in her growing and growing as she cheered along with everyone else.

Sharpay couldn't help but smile at her childlike behavior. A voice came over the speakers.

"Ladies and gentlemen give it up for The Veronicas!!"

The crowd went absolutely wild as a band and two very similar looking girls took the stage. Gabriella couldn't help herself as she started jumping up and down with the rest of the crowd.

"What's up, Albuquerque!" One of the girls screamed. The band started playing and the concert began. Gabriella sang along to lyrics and bobbed to the music. She absorbed all the energy all around her.

"Which one is which again?" Sharpay screamed in her ear finally remembering that The Veronicas were made up of identical twin sisters.

"The on the right is Lisa and the one with the tattoo on her arm is Jess." Gabriella screamed over her shoulder.

"Oh, which one's your favorite?"

"Lisa!"

Sharpay looked to find which one was Lisa and approved. "Yeah, she's hotter." Gabriella laughed and continued to sing a long. Sharpay tried to enjoy the music as well but was suddenly shoved by another fan standing behind her and was pushed into Gabriella. She practically pinned her against the barrier.

Gabriella was taken by surprise, her entire body aflame at the sudden contact. All the adrenaline from the concert coursed through her body making her heart beat twice as fast.

"I am _so_ sorry." Sharpay tried to push herself off Gabriella.

She swallowed, her throat becoming very dry. A part of her didn't want Sharpay to leave. "It's, it's okay." Gabriella tried to bring her focus back to the concert that was right in front her but everything just blurred. She wanted Sharpay to touch her again. Gabriella actually wanted the concert to be rowdy so the crowd would push and she could be closer to Sharpay. She knew that wouldn't happen because The Veronicas weren't exactly a hardcore band.

After several upbeat and fast songs, the music changed to a mellow tune. Gabriella instantly recognized it and felt a little pang in her heart.

Lisa started to talk. "Alright, we're going to slow it down for you guys with this. It's actually one of our only love songs on the record, so everyone grab your significant others and sing along. It's called 'Speechless.'"

Gabriella never told Sharpay this because she knew she'd think it was corny, but this was the song that she dubbed as theirs. She looked around the theatre and saw many couples holding each other swaying to the music and felt Sharpay standing behind her. So close but not quite close enough. She wanted so badly just to lean into her but fought the urge. She suddenly felt warm arms wrap around her waist and her heart stopped. Sharpay pulled Gabriella into her and rested her chin on her shoulder.

She closed her eyes letting the feeling of Sharpay's arms and the song wash over her. _I'm dreaming. I have to be dreaming. I'm going to open my eyes and I'm going to be in my room listening to this on the radio. This is not really happening._ Gabriella opened her eyes and realized that this wasn't a dream. Happiness consumed her and time stood still.

"…you managed to disarm me. My soul is shining through. Can't help but surrender my everything to you…" The song finished and everyone started to cheer.

"Happy Birthday, Gabriella," Sharpay whispered in her ear. It sent chills up and down her body.

After the concert was over, Gabriella and Sharpay walked out to the lobby, and the awkwardness returned.

"So, um, do you need a ride home?" Sharpay asked her.

"Um, well I'm supposed to call my mom, so…" She didn't know what to think of what happened during the concert, but she didn't want to get her hopes up.

"Well call your mom and tell her that you she doesn't have to drive all the way here. I'll just take you home." Her voice had the same authoritative tone she always used when they went out. It meant that she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Okay, well I'll be right back." Gabriella went to the corner of the lobby and called her mom. Her mind was running a mile a minute thinking how extremely uncomfortable the ride home was going to be. She told her mom that Sharpay was giving her ride and purposely ignored the million questions she asked. Telling her that she'd be home shortly, Gabriella hung up the phone with her mom still talking. "Okay, all set," she said putting her phone back in her purse.

"Okay, let's go before we get stuck in the parking lot." They started to walk out of the theatre when Gabriella stopped at the merchandise booth, her eyes looking at the t-shirts. Sharpay saw this and came back. "Do you want a shirt?"

Gabriella looked away and blushed at her own behavior. "Yeah, but I didn't bring any money, so let's just go." She started to walk away but saw Sharpay had come up to the counter and grabbed the t-shirt that she was eyeing and paid for it. And before Gabriella knew it, she came back and handed the shirt to her. She took it and stared at Sharpay. "You didn't have to get this for me."

Sharpay shrugged her shoulders. "Consider it another birthday present."

"Sharpay, you—"

She cut her off. "We really need to be going." She walked outside and Gabriella followed her confused as ever.

She really wanted to know what the hell was going on between her and Sharpay but was too scared to ask. They made their way to the parking lot and got into Sharpay's car. It felt strange for Gabriella being back in there. She almost forgot how it smelled like until she got in the passenger seat and inhaled the scent of her air freshener. Cinnamon and pine. It smelled like Christmas.

The ride home was quiet, the only sounds coming from the radio. Gabriella stared out the window watching the lights from the other cars. She wanted to say something but stopped herself every time.

_What the hell am I supposed to say? "Hey, Sharpay, so when you held me back at the concert, did you do that because you still have feelings for me or because you felt sorry for me?"_

Gabriella started to bite her nails in frustration. She really didn't want to get hurt again. Sighing, she crossed her legs and accidentally kicked something on the floor. She bent down and picked up a hat. At first, Gabriella thought it was Ryan's but then realized it was too small. It belonged to a girl.

"Hey, whose is this?" She held up the hat for Sharpay to see.

Her eyes widened a little she when saw it. "Um, that's um." She cleared her throat. "It's Christine's. I gave her a ride home one time and she left it here." Gabriella put the hat down feeling her heart break all over again. She continued to look out the window. "Gabriella," Sharpay said reaching over and touching her arm to get her attention. "We never were anything." Gabriella turned and looked at her confused. "Christine and me. I know you thought that something was going on, but there wasn't ever anything. She's just a friend. A little sister almost. I'd never do that to you."

Gabriella didn't say anything but felt slightly better. She stopped the feeling because she knew she would start to get her hopes up and she had no clue where they stood.

Sharpay pulled into Gabriella's driveway and stopped the car. They sat there for a few seconds, the silence getting a little louder every time they had an awkward moment.

"So, I'll see you at school then?" Sharpay said turning to look at her.

"Yeah, okay." Gabriella pushed the door open and started to get out of the car.

"Your birthday dinner is this weekend, right?"

"Yeah."

"Taylor told me about it." She stated off hand.

Gabriella became uncomfortable when Sharpay told her this. "Did Troy not invite you?"

She gave her a sheepish smile. "No, not really, but it's okay."

"You can come if you want." _Great, that may not have been a good idea. Good going Gabriella, get your hopes up more._

Sharpay's face lit up. "Okay, I'll make an appearance. Goodnight, Gabriella."

"Night." She watched Sharpay pull out of her driveway and dumbly waved. Gabriella greeted her mom telling her she was home before going to room and collapsing on her bed. Absolutely exhausted, she only had enough energy left to kick off her shoes. Gabriella closed her eyes recounting the events of the night. Confusion filled her to the core before she fell asleep

--&--&--&--

Things became more bearable at school but Gabriella was still unsure about everything. She was a bit surprise when Sharpay called her on the day of her birthday dinner.

"Hello?" She answered after two rings. It was strange to see Sharpay's name on her cell phone.

"Hey."

Gabriella's stomach did a familiar flip-flop but she tried her best to quell it. "Hey, what's up?"

"You busy right now?"

She thought for a second wondering why Sharpay was asking. "No, not really. Why?" Sharpay didn't say anything. "Sharpay?"

"Sorry, um, do you think you can meet me somewhere?"

Gabriella scratched her head. "Now?"

"Yeah, if that's alright?"

"Um, sure. Where?"

"At the park."

"The park?" Her voice cracked a little. _Why does she want to meet me at the park out of all places?_

"Yeah, by the um, tree."

A million thoughts ran through Gabriella's mind. "Um, okay. I'll meet you there."

"Okay, fifteen minutes?"

"Okay." She hung up the phone.

The questions in her head were screaming at her. _Why does she want to meet me now? Why the park? Why the tree? The Lover's Tree. What is she trying to do?_ Hoping all her questions will be answered, Gabriella told her mom she was going out for a while, and started to walk to the park. It wasn't far from her house, taking her only five minutes to get there. She walked to the tree and waited for Sharpay. Nostalgia struck her ten fold and she traced the engraving Sharpay carved into the bark. She only had to wait a few minutes before Sharpay arrived.

"Hey, thanks for coming."

"No problem, why did you want me to come here?"

Sharpay put her hands in her pockets and took a deep breath. "Um, we should sit down." Gabriella did just that and waited for Sharpay to continue. She looked as nervous as she was. "So, I've been thinking a lot about you and me and our situation." She swallowed. "And I just want to first apologize for how I treated you. That wasn't fair. After we broke up, I immediately regretted it. I couldn't sleep. All I could think about was you and how much I hurt you." She stopped and looked Gabriella for a response. She stayed quiet. "I didn't mean what I said before."

"What you said before?" Gabriella knew what she was talking about but she wanted to hear it straight from her mouth.

Sharpay started to fiddle with a twig she found on the grass. "You know, what I said about not loving you like I thought I did. Because I do, Gabriella." She looked her straight in the eyes. "I do love you."

She felt her heart jump. "Then why'd you say that?"

Sharpay tossed the twig and picked up another one. "I don't know, I was stupid, I guess." Gabriella couldn't help the little scoff that she let escape. "I know, it's a really pathetic excuse but," she threw this twig as well and looked into Gabriella's eyes again. "I miss you, I miss you so much. I miss you calling me and us hanging out and being together. I miss everything about you. And I guess I didn't realize how much I really loved you until I lost you."

When she heard this, Gabriella's heart sank and the confusion she was feeling finally left. Looking at Sharpay, she never felt so sad. Even sadder than when she broke up with her.

"So I guess what I'm trying to say is I want us to try again. Get back together? We'll be better this time." Sharpay's face was filled with so much hope that it almost made Gabriella cry.

She just gave her a small sad smile. For so long she wanted to hear those words, and now she finally did. All Gabriella could feel was emptiness. She reached over and took Sharpay's hands in hers.

Her heart was in her throat. "Sharpay, we can't." Gabriella felt her tense up.

Her face fell. "What? Why? Gabriella, I lo—."

She didn't let her finish. "I love you, Sharpay. More than you know, but." Before she could stop it, Gabriella's eyes filled with tears. "I didn't need to lose you to figure that out." She saw the confusion in Sharpay's eyes. It was the same one she saw in the mirror the past few days. "I've always known how I felt. But Sharpay, you don't love me." Sharpay's sad face became blurred through her tears.

Sharpay got up and stood on her knees. "Gabriella, I _do_ love you. You, and only you." She pleaded with her and her grip on Gabriella's hands tightened.

She shook her head and the tears were threatening to fall. "No, you don't. You may care about me but you never loved me. You love that I love you." Gabriella let go and stood up. "I'm sorry, Sharpay. I can't do this. Maybe one day we can learn to be friends, but right now, this isn't what I need. It's not what you need either." Taking one last look at Sharpay, she took a deep breath. "Goodbye, Sharpay." She turned to walk away leaving Sharpay on the grass, but not before seeing the tears fall from the corners of her eyes. It took all her strength for Gabriella not to turn back. She half expected to hear Sharpay call her but she never did.

Gabriella felt like a thousand pound weight had been lifted off her chest. The breeze blew, drying some of her tears and then she smiled. She knew it was going to take a long time for heart to mend completely, but for the first time in weeks, Gabriella knew she was going to be fine.

--_End_--

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**Before anyone asks, no there will not be a sequel. And yes, this is how it ends. Not everything has a happy ending. Sorry! But thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. It means a lot to me. :-D**


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